Tilting tube with rolling member game

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a game of skill for use and enjoyment by persons of all age groups. The device is comprised of an elongated tubular member defining a path of travel for a ball contained therein. The tubular member is formed so as to have a patterned clear, opaque alternating configuration. By tilting the hand held elongated member, the ball can be caused to roll toward one end, appearing in one clear section, and the object is to tilt the member in the opposite direction, causing the ball to stop and roll in the opposite direction and appear in a clear section disposed near the opposite end. Thus the object is to make the ball appear in oppositely disposed first clear sections and not appear in oppositely disposed second clear sections closer to each end of the elongated member.

United States Patent [191 Landreville June 3, 1975 TILTING TUBE WITHROLLING MEMBER GAME [76] Inventor: Patrick M. Landreville, 1352 W.

Gwava. Oxnard, Calif. 93030 22 Filed: July 19,1974

21 Appl.No.:490,111

[52] U.S. Cl. 273/109; 273/109 [51] Int. Cl. A63f 7/04 [58) Field ofSearch 273/1 R, 101, 109, 110,

273/113, 115, 116, 117,153 R, 120 R, 86 C; 46/43, 193; 35/8 R, 29 R. 22R; 272/57 R Primary Examiner-Richard C. Pinkham AssistantExaminerl-1arry G. Strappello Attorney, Agent, or FirmSpensley, Horn andLubitz [57] ABSTRACT This invention relates to a game of skill for useand enjoyment by persons of all age groups. The device is comprised ofan elongated tubular member defining a path of travel for a ballcontained therein. The tubular member is formed so as to have apatterned clear, opaque alternating configuration. By tilting the handheld elongated member, the ball can be caused to roll toward one end,appearing in one clear section, and the object is to tilt the member inthe opposite direction. causing the ball to stop and roll in theopposite direction and appear in a clear section disposed near theopposite end. Thus the object is to make the ball appear in oppositelydisposed first clear sections and not appear in oppositely disposedsecond clear sections closer to each end of the elongated member.

8 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of theInvention This invention relates to a game of skill or a testing devicewhich is hand held and requires sight-hand coordination and manualdexterity.

2. Prior Art Various forms of game devices involving rolling balls ormarbles have been previously disclosed. For example, US. Pat. No.454,254 discloses a tubular member containing an enclosed ball. Thetubular member is mounted on a trunnioned support so as to be balancedwhen disposed in the horizontal plane. The game requires the player totilt the tubular member such that the ball is centered and the systembalances in a horizontal plane. The tubular member has an opening, inits preferred form, disposed through the top of the tubular member forobserving the ball as it approaches the equilibrium point. Thisdisclosure does not contain an elongated member which is formedalternating in opaque, clear sections and can not be hand held as is thepresent invention. Further, the objective of the device is entirelydifferent and it is much more costly than the present invention.

Other games have been disclosed which provide a maze like path throughwhich an enclosed ball must be moved by manual visual coordination.However, no prior art is known to the applicant which employs a handheld elongated tubular member containing a rolling ball which is formedin a patterned opaque, clear configuration in which the ball can be madeto appear in alternate clear sections by manual visual coordination.

The present invention provides a number of significant improvements toknown games of skill or testing devices. In summary, the inventionrequires a particular type of coordination between sight and hand,presents a method for measuring sight hand coordination, providesenjoyment as a game of skill whether manipulated by a single player,whether or not against a time limitation, and presents a reproducabletesting device in which each user is subject to identical testingconditions. The device may be inexpensively manufactured in varioussizes to range from small party favors to large devices for the combinedmanipulation of two persons.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A device which can be utilized as a game ofskill or as a device for testing sight-hand coordination is disclosed.The device is comprised of an elongated tubular member in which arolling ball is disposed. The tubular member is formed so as to have twoseparate clear sections near each end, with the remainder of the memberbeing opaque. The device is operated by hand holding the elongatedmember and tilting it back and forth such that the enclosed ball is madeto appear alternately in only the first of the clear sections near oneend before being tilted in the opposite direction to repeat the feat atthe other end. The device can be used by one or two persons as a game ofskill or as a testing device.

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of theinvention, both as to organization and method of utilization, togetherwith further objects and advantages thereof, will be better understoodfrom the following description, considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which by way of example, the presentlypreferred embodiment is illustrated. It is to be expressly understood,however, that the drawings are for purpose of illustration anddescription only, and are not intended as a definition of the limits ofthe invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a pictorial illustration ofthe preferred embodiment being employed as a game of skill, or as atesting device;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partial plan view of an alternate embodiment having slots;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of an alternate embodiment having a hexagonalcross section;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5; and, 4

FIG. 7 is a pictorial view of two players using the preferred embodimentas a game.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Now referring to thedrawings, the game of skill or testing device 10 of the presentlypreferred embodiment is shown in use in FIG. 1. It is comprised of anelongated tubular member 11 defining a path of travel for a ball ormarble 30. The elongated member is formed so as to have a particularopaque, clear (transparent or translucent) patterned configuration. Itshould be noted that the device 10 can be employed equally as well aseither a game of skill or as a testing device. However, the followingdescription will refer to the device as if it were a game of skill. Theelongated member 11 is held in a horizontal plane, relative to theground, by the player grasping the tubular member with one or both hands40 and 41. In the presently preferred embodiment, the game is played bythe player tilting the elongated member such that it is not disposed ina horizontal plane, as shown by the directional arrows and phantom linesof FIG. 1. The tilting causes the enclosed ball 30 to roll towards thelower end. As the wall 30 appears in the first clear section l6, theelongated member 11 must be tilted by the player in the oppositedirection to cause the ball to roll in the opposite direction and appearin an oppositely disposed clear section 16 without appearing in eitherclear section 14 disposed at the ends thereof. The invented device canbe formed in alternate embodiments yet still be within the scope andbasic concept as previously described.

In the preferred form, the elongated member 11 is formed of clearplastic tubing. Sections of the elongated member are painted with opaquepaint as illustrated in FIG. 2. It has been found that a particularalternating pattern of clear and opaque sections provide a game whichrequires considerable skill. Other alternating patterns of opaque andtransparent sections may also provide a game of skill, however, theskill required may be either greater or lesser depending upon theparticular arrangement of the alternating sections. In the preferredembodiment, a first section 14 is clear and is disposed adjacent end 13of the elongated rod 11 and extends inward approximately 2 inches. Thesecond section is opaque and extends inward from section 14approximately 2 inches. Section 16 is clear and extends approximately 2inches inward from section 15. Section 17 is opaque and extends fromsection [6 approximately l8 inches. Section 18 is clear andapproximately 2 inches in length and extends from section 17. Section 19is opaque and extends away from section 18 and is about 2 inches inlength. Section is clear. is disposed between end 12 and section 19 andis approximately 2 inches in length. Thus, the overall length of thetubular member is approximately 30 inches, about 1 inch in diameter andhas a wall thickness of approximately one-sixteenth of an inch with theends being closed by end caps 12 and 13 cemented in place, or in thealternative snapped or pressed in place. As described, the device islong enough to be held by two hands, though in alternate embodiments thedevice may be shortened and operated by one or both hands. It has beenfound that a total length of approximately 1 foot is a minimum lengthsuitable for providing a device to tax sight-hand coordination.

The important dimensional arrangement is of the alternating opaque clearopaque sections disposed on each end, and shortening or lengthening mayoccur to section 17 without greatly alternating the degree of skillrequired. The two inch clear, opaque sections provide an optimumarrangement for a game of skill. Sections of lesser length require amuch greater degree of skill, while sections of greater length require amuch lesser degree of skill. The dimensions of the central section 17are not as critical as the dimensions of the end sections, however, inthe preferred form it should be of sufficient length to enable a playerto place both hands within that opaque section and balance and tilt theelongated member in either direction. Caps 12 and 13 are disposed oneither end of the tubular member 11 and thereby define a limited path oftravel for a ball or marble 30 contained therein.

The ball or marble 30 as illustrated in FIG. 3 is positioned within thetubular member 11 prior to placing the caps 12 and 13 on the ends of thetubular member. The ball 30 in the preferred form is approximatelythree-fourths of an inch in diameter and may be a large glass marble orother spherical member such as a rubber ball. It has been found that thelarger diameter ball of this size performs its function in a much betterfashion than a smaller diameter ball, however either may be employed inthe present invention. In some instances, a steel ball which is muchheavier than a glass marble ball, may be positioned within the tubularmember and be employed in the game of skill. These heavier balls tend torequire a greater degree of skill since the heavier ball acquires agreater momentum as it rolls from one end of the tube to the other endof the tube. For this purpose an alternative embodiment may employ aremovable cap such that balls of different diameter and/or weight may bealternately disposed within the tube to vary the degree of skillrequired in the game.

When playing the game, the elongated member is held in a horizontalposition relative to the ground. The ball 30 must be made to appearalternately in sections 16 and 18 without appearing in either section 14or 20. If in play, the player tilts the elongated member such that end13 is lower than end 12, the ball 30 will begin to roll toward end 13.As the ball enters clear section 16, the player must react and tilt theelongated member such that end 12 is displaced below end 13 causing theball to stop moving toward end 13 before it appears in section 14. Asthe ball comes to a halt, it begins rolling in the opposite directiontoward end 12 and as soon as the ball appears in the clear section 18,the player must again tilt the member in the opposite direction,stopping the ball from moving through section 19 and appearing insection 20. ln this example, one point is scored each time the ballappears alternately in either section 16 or 18 without appearing ineither of the clear sections 14 or 20. If the player causes the ball toappear in either section 14 or 20. he is disqualified and loses anyaccumulated points. The winner of the game can be determined by thenumber of points accumulated within any specified time period. It shouldbe noted that this is only one set of rules which may be derived forutilizing the invented game of skill. The device could be used fortesting sight-hand coordination and manual dexterity in much the samemanner.

In alternate embodiments, the tubular member can be made of glass andpainted or colored to form the alternating clear and opaque sections. Ifthe tubular member 11 is formed of clear plastic, it can be painted toform the desired alternating pattern or it could be partially covered insections by an opaque member to form the desired pattern. In anadditional embodiment, the elongated tubular member could be formed ofwelded together sections of clear and opaque members of glass ofplastic.

An alternate form of the present invention is shown in FIG. 4. In thisembodiment the elongated member is formed from a solid opaque tube.However, slots are cut in the wall of the tubular member to form windows32 and 31 in one end and opposing windows in the opposite end whichperform essentially the same function as the transparent sections 14 and16 in the preferred form of the invention. Thus, as a ball rolls towardend 12, the ball can be made to appear in section 32 and if it appearsin section 31, then the player would be disqualified and the game couldbe played as previously described.

In the preferred form, the elongated member 11 is a cylindrical tubularmember, however in an alternate embodiment as shown in FIG. 5, theelongated member 33 is shown as hexagonal in shape. The member 33 can beformed or painted so as to have the desired clear opaque pattern, a ball30 may be disposed within this hexagonal tubular member as illustratedin FIG. 6 and the game may be played as previously described. in anotherembodiment, a ball which is not spherical in shape, may be employed aslong as it slides freely along the interior of the elongated member.

The game of skill previously described can also be played by twoindividuals as is shown in FIG. 7. In this usage, player 42 places onehand near end 13 and player 43 places one hand near end 12. The playersmust now combine their sight-hand coordination and manual dexterity tocause the ball to alternately appear in transparent sections 16 and 18without appearing in transparent sections 14 and 20 as previouslydescribed. In this usage, the game requires considerable skill be tweentwo individuals and may be used as a unique party game.

I claim:

1. A hand-held device capable of being employed as a game of skill and atesting device requiring sight-hand coordination and manual dexteritycomprising:

a. an elongated tubular member having enclosed ends, said elongatedmember having a first and second clear sections disposed on oppositeends, a first and second opaque section disposed inwardly and adjacentsaid first and second clear sections. third and foruth clear sectionsdisposed inwardly and adjacent said first and second opaque sections anda third opaque section disposed between said third and fourth clearsections, said elongated member defining an internal path; and,

b. a movable means disposed within said elongated member capable ofmoving along said path;

whereby said device can be tilted causing said movable means to movethrough said path and appear alternately in said third and fourth clearsections without appearing in said first or second clear sections.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said movable means is a sphericalball.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said elongated tubular member iscylindrical in cross section.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein said elongated member is approximately30 inches in length and 1 inch in diameter, said first, second. thirdand fourth clear sections are approximately 2 inches in length and saidfirst and second opaque sections are approximately 2 inches in length.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said elongated member is fabricatedfrom clear plastic and said opaque sections are formed by painting.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein one end of said elongated member isdisengagable from said elongated member for removal and replacing ofsaid movable means with a second movable means.

7. The device of claim I, wherein said elongated member is opaque andsaid clear sections are created by forming slits in the wall of saidelongated member.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the cross section of said elongatedmember is irregular in shape.

1. A hand-held device capable of being employed as a game of skill and atesting device requiring sight-hand coordination and manual dexteritycomprising: a. an elongated tubular member having enclosed ends, saidelongated member having a first and second clear sections disposed onopposite ends, a first and second opaque section disposed inwardly andadjacent said first and second clear sections, third and foruth clearsections disposed inwardly and adjacent said first and second opaquesections and a third opaque section disposed between said third andfourth clear sections, said elongated member defining an internal path;and, b. a movable means disposed within said elongated member capable ofmoving along said path; whereby said device can be tilted causing saidmovable means to move through said path and appear alternately in saidthird and fourth clear sections without appearing in said first orsecond clear sections.
 1. A hand-held device capable of being employedas a game of skill and a testing device requiring sight-handcoordination and manual dexterity comprising: a. an elongated tubularmember having enclosed ends, said elongated member having a first andsecond clear sections disposed on opposite ends, a first and secondopaque section disposed inwardly and adjacent said first and secondclear sections, third and foruth clear sections disposed inwardly andadjacent said first and second opaque sections and a third opaquesection disposed between said third and fourth clear sections, saidelongated member defining an internal path; and, b. a movable meansdisposed within said elongated member capable of moving along said path;whereby said device can be tilted causing said movable means to movethrough said path and appear alternately in said third and fourth clearsections without appearing in said first or second clear sections. 2.The device of claim 1, wherein said movable means is a spherical ball.3. The device of claim 1, wherein said elongated tubular member iscylindrical in cross section.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein saidelongated member is approximately 30 inches in length and 1 inch indiameter, said first, second, third and fourth clear sections areapproximately 2 inches in length and said first and second opaquesections are approximately 2 inches in length.
 5. The device of claim 1,wherein said elongated member is fabricated from clear plastic and saidopaque sections are formed by painting.
 6. The device of claim 1,wherein one end of said elongated member is disengagable from saidelongated member for removal and replacing of said movable means with asecond movable means.
 7. The device of claim 1, wherein said elongatedmember is opaque and said clear sections are created by forming slits inthe wall of said elongated member.